Next winter, you could be entitled to a £140 discount on your electricity bill, under the government’s Warm Home Discount Scheme. You will be eligible if you receive Pension Credit.

In addition, electricity suppliers offer the discount to some other groups. For example, British Gas offers it to people who claim Jobseekers Allowance.

A recent Children’s Society report found that nearly two million children in low-income families are not getting the Warm Home Discount (WHD). It was introduced in 2011. Out of the 650 parliamentary constituencies in the UK, the two which have the lowest take up of the WHD are the two Newham constituencies, East Ham and West Ham.

According to the Children’s Society, nearly 25,000 Newham children are in families who are not getting the discount, but should be. The Children’s Society has called on the government to make payment automatic to all families with children who qualify. A recent survey found energy bills are the single biggest financial concern for people in Britain. The Nielsen Global Survey of Consumer Confidence and Spending Intentions reported that 31 per cent of us now rank rising energy bills among our two biggest concerns. It is a big factor in the cost of living crisis, which has left the average family £1,600 worse off since the general election. That is why Ed Miliband has pledged to freeze gas and electricity bills for 20 months if Labour is elected next year. Labour’s plan is to use those twenty months to re-structure the energy market, and make it truly competitive. At the moment, competition in the energy market does not seem to be working.

To find out more, go to Warm Home Discount. Information can also be obtained from your energy supplier.